WHY PUBLISHING IN ABC HF?
• The ABC Heart Failure & Cardiomyopathy (ABC HF) is an integral part of the Brazilian Archives of Cardiology (in portuguese: Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia – ABC Cardiol) family. Publication in ABC HF is freely accessible to readers and no publication fees are charged to authors;
• Mission: Disseminating the content of national and international scientific research in the area of heart failure and cardiomyopathy; promoting scientific debate in the area through the publication of ariginal articles, reviews, view points, editorials, letters and others.
• The English and Portuguese versions are fully available, FREE OF CHARGE (open access), on the website of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology (https://www.abcheartfailure.org);
• The authors are not required to pay any submission or review fees;
• The ABC HF are advocates of Open Science;
• The ABC HF accepts Preprint manuscripts.
OPEN SCIENCE
The term open science refers to a scientific practice model that is in line with the digital evolution that proposes the availability of information in web environments, as opposed to laboratory-confined research.1 The practice of open science involves the publication of research data, speedy editorial and communication processes through continuous publication of manuscripts and preprints, greater transparency in review processes and communication flows, and the pursuit of more comprehensive systems of review of manuscripts and journals.2,3
PREPRINT
A preprint is a complete scientific manuscript that the authors place in a public server. Preprints contain complete data and methodologies. They are published on the web within one day approximately, without peer review, and can be viewed for free by anyone in the world, on platforms currently developed for this purpose, allowing scientists to directly control the promotion of their work for the scientific community around the world. In most cases, the same work published as preprint is also submitted for peer review in a journal. Therefore, preprints (not validated by peer review) and the publication of journals (validated by peer review) work in parallel as a communication system for scientific research.4,5
Submitting a manuscript to a preprint platform, such as Peerage of Science, arXiv, PLoS and Nature Precedings, is not considered double publishing. ABC HF will also accept manuscripts that have been published on an author’s personal or institutional website. Academic theses in the public domain, according to the guidelines of the author’s academic institution, will also be considered by ABC HF.
The journal ABC HF seeks to keep its platform and rules constantly updated, in keeping with the practices of modern scientific publication. Today, we accept preprints and open science platforms to encourage communication among authors.
Sources:
1. https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Ci%C3%AAncia_aberta
2. https://www.cienciaaberta.net/
3. http://www.ciencia-aberta.pt/sobre-ciencia-aberta
4. http://blog.scielo.org/blog/ 2017/02/22/scielo-preprints-a-caminho/#.Wt3U2IjwY2w
5. http://asapbio.org/preprint-info
CONTENTS OF MANUSCRIPT
TYPES OF MANUSCRIPTS
Original Article: The journal ABC HF accepts all types of original cardiovascular research, including research in humans and experimental research. Clinical trials should follow specific recommendations (see item Specific documents and definitions for clinical trials). Note: Systematic analyses and meta-analyses are considered original manuscripts, not reviews.
Review Article: The editors send out invitations for most reviews. However, high-level studies conducted by authors or groups with previous publications on the subject will be welcome. In this section, any manuscripts whose main author does not have a comprehensive academic or publication background verified by Lattes (CNPQ), PubMed or SciELO will not be accepted. Note: Systematic analyses and meta-analyses are considered original manuscripts, not reviews.
Viewpoint: It presents the authors’ stance or opinion on a specific scientific theme. This stance or opinion must be sufficiently corroborated by the literature or their personal experience. These aspects will be the basis of the opinion being issued.
Case Report: Any cases including original descriptions of clinical observations or representing the originality of a given diagnosis or treatment or illustrating situations that do not occur very often in the clinical practice, which deserve a deeper understanding and more attention from cardiologists.
Brief Communication: Original experiences whose relevance to the knowledge of a subject justifies the presentation of initial data of small series, or partial data of clinical trials.
Editorial: Subjects or manuscripts critically addressed by a subject-matter specialist. All ABC HF editorials are published upon invitation. We will not accept editorials submitted spontaneously.
Letter to the Editor: Correspondence of scientific content related to manuscripts published in ABC HF. The authors of the original manuscript will be invited to respond.
Image: Clinical or basic research imaging, or complementary tests showing interesting aspects of imaging methods explaining cardiovascular disease mechanisms and emphasizing relevant aspects of physiopathology, diagnosis or treatment.
ORGANIZATION OF MANUSCRIPTS AND TECHNICAL STANDARDS
• Language:
ABC HF is a bilingual publication. The manuscripts can be submitted either in Portuguese and/or English.
• Composition:
Note: The texts must be edited in a word processor (example: Microsoft® Word, Google Docs®, Writer®).
• Supplementary Material:
The authors can submit supplementary material attached to their manuscript, the publication of which will be online only if there is not enough space to include it in the printed article. The supplementary material must be relevant to the understanding and interpretation of the manuscript and must not repeat information from the printed article. The inclusion of supplementary material — which must be original and unpublished — must be limited and reasonable.
The supplementary material will undergo editorial and peer review along with the main manuscript. If the manuscript is accepted for publication and if the supplementary material is considered suitable for publication by the editors, it will be published online upon publication of the manuscript as additional material provided by the authors. The material will not be edited or formatted, so the authors are responsible for the accuracy and presentation of the entire material. Each supplementary material must be identified as such upon submission of the manuscript and cited in the manuscript.
SUMMARY TABLE OF THE STRUCTURING OF ARTICLES
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR APPROVED MANUSCRIPTS
ORIGINAL ARTICLE, REVIEW ARTICLE, VIEWPOINT, CASE REPORT, BRIEF COMMUNICATION
1- Author’s online registration in the submission system: Registration details, ORCiD number, pre-print usage information (if used) (see the itens Open Science and Preprint);
ORCiD: The ORCiD (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a unique, free and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes one scholar/researcher from another and solves the problem of the ambiguity and similarity of names of authors and individuals, replacing name variations with a single numeric code. To register your ORCiD ID, go to: https://orcid.org/register.
2- Conflict of interest: Form filled out and signed by the first author, informing when there is any relationship between the authors and any public or private entity that could derive some conflict of interest. This information must be included in the end of the manuscript.
3- Author contribution form: Form filled out and signed by the first author stating the contributions of all participants. This information must be included in the end of the manuscript.
4- Copyrights: Form filled out and signed by all co-authors authorizing the transfer of copyrights.
5- Ethics: Form filled out and signed by the first author stating whether the research was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of their institution.
• In experiments involving animals, the standards established in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C., 1996) and the Ethical Principles in Animal Experiments of the Brazilian Council of Animal Experimentation (COBEA) must be respected.
• In experiments involving humans, the authors must state whether the procedures have followed the ethical standards established by the institutional and national human experimentation committee and the Declaration of Helsinki of 1975, revised in 2008. Studies conducted with humans should be in line with the ethical standards and must include the participants’ informed consent, as per Resolution 466/2012 of the National Health Council of the Ministry of Health of Brazil, which deals with the Code of Ethics for Research on Human Beings and, for authors outside Brazil, they must be in keeping with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Have a look at Specific documentations and definitions for clinical trials for further information. Have a look at the item Specific documents and definitions for clinical trials for further information.
EDITORIAL, LETTER TO THE EDITOR, RESEARCH LETTER AND SHORT EDITORIAL
1- Author’s online registration in the submission system: Registration details, ORCiD number, pre-print usage information (if used) (see the itens Open Science and Preprint);
ORCiD: The ORCiD (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a unique, free and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes one scholar/researcher from another and solves the problem of the ambiguity and similarity of names of authors and individuals, replacing name variations with a single numeric code. To register your ORCiD ID, go to: https://orcid.org/register.
2- Copyrights: Form filled out and signed by all co-authors authorizing the transfer of copyrights.
SPECIFIC DOCUMENTS AND DEFINITIONS FOR CLINICAL TRIALS (CLINICAL RESEARCH)
Definition: The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the World Health Organization (WHO) consider it is important to promote a comprehensive and publicly available database of clinical studies. The ICMJE defines a clinical study as any research project that prospectively refers human beings for intervention or simultaneous comparison or control groups to study the cause and effect relationship between a medical intervention and a health outcome. Medical interventions include medications, surgical procedures, devices, behavioral treatments, changes to healthcare processes, and others.
For manuscript submissions, the following is required:
• Study registration number: this must be published at the end of the abstract. Any registration that is in keeping with the ICMJE will be accepted. Example: http://clinicaltrials.gov/. A complete list of all clinical trial records can be found at http://www.who.int/ictrp/network/ primary/en/index.html.
• Clinical trials should follow the CONSORT STATEMENT rules. Please visit: http://www.consort-statement.org/ consort-2010.
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should follow the rules established by widely known organizations, such as: PRISMA (http://www.prisma-statement.org), AMSTAR (https://amstar.ca/) e MOOSE (https://www.editorialmanager.com/ jognn/account/MOOSE.pdf). ). The latter is for observational meta-analyses only.
EXCLUSIVE SUBMISSION/PUBLICATION POLICY
Manuscripts are considered for review only under the conditions that they are not under consideration elsewhere and that the data presented have not been previously published (including symposia, proceedings, transactions, books, articles published by invitation, and preliminary publications of any kind, excepting abstracts that do not exceed 500 words). On acceptance, transfer of copyright to the ABC HF must be provided.
RELATIONSHIP WITH INDUSTRY POLICY – CONFLICT OF INTEREST
All authors are required to disclose any relationship with industry and other relevant entities – financial or otherwise – within the past 2 years that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article. All relevant relationships with industry, disclosures, and sources of funding for the work should be acknowledged on the title page, as should all institutional affiliations of the authors (including corporate appointments). This includes associations such as consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interests or patent-licensing arrangements. If no relationship with industry exists, please state this on the title page.
All forms are now signed and submitted electronically. Once a manuscript is accepted, form will be filled out and signed by the first author, informing when there is any relationship between the authors and any public or private entity that could derive some conflict of interest. This information must be included in the end of the manuscript. Click here.
STATISTIC GUIDELINES
Proper use of statistical methods as well as their correct description is of paramount importance for manuscripts published in ABC HF. Therefore, some general guidelines apply to the information to be provided regarding statistical analysis (for further details, we suggest reading the European Heart Journal’s statistical guidelines).
1) About the sample: Details of both the population of interest and the procedures used to define the study sample.
2) Under Methods, there must be a subtopic exclusively addressed to the description of the statistical analysis used in the study, containing:
• Presentation of continuous and/or categorical variables: continuous variables with normal distribution should be presented as mean and standard deviation and continuous variables with non-normal distribution should be presented as median and interquartile range. Categorical variables should be presented by absolute numbers and percentages, with the relevant confidence intervals.
• Description of statistical methods used. If more complex statistical methods are used, some reference literature should be provided for them;
• As a general rule, statistical tests should always be bilateral rather than unilateral;
• The significance level adopted; and
• Specifications of the software used in the statistical analyses, including its version.
3) As for the presentation of the results from statistical analyses:
• The main results should always be described with their relevant confidence intervals;
• Do not repeat in the body of the manuscript the data found in tables and figures;
• Instead of presenting excessively long tables, use charts as an alternative to make it easier for the readers to understand the contents;
• In tables, even if the p-value is not significant, state its value instead of “NS” (e.g., p = 0.29 instead of NS).
PLAGIARISM
PLAGIARISM POLICY
Plagiarism is not accepted in ABC HF. It compromises the true meaning of Science. Plagiarism is defined when an author attempts to use someone else work as his or her own. Another form of plagiarism is self-plagiarism, ou duplication: it occurs when an author reuses significant parts of his or her own published work without appropriate references. Plagiarism is a scientific misconduct and will be addressed as such. When plagiarism is detected at any time before publication, the editorial office will take appropriate action as directed by the standards set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). For additional information, please visit http://www.publicationethics.org.
ABC HF uses the iThenticate software to verifiy the originality of content submitted before publication. iThenticate checks submissions against millions of published research papers, and billions of web content. Authors, researchers and freelancers can also use iThenticate to screen their work before submission by visiting http://www.ithenticate.com.
PLAGIARISM DETECT BEFORE PUBLISHING
ABC HF editors will evaluate any case of plagiarism on its limits. If plagiarism is detected before publishing then we will inform the author(s) and will ask them to rewrite the content or use appropriate references from where the content has been taken. If more than 25% of the paper is plagiarized, then the article will be rejected and authors notified.
HOW PLAGIARISM IS CHECKED?
All the submitted manuscripts for publication are checked for plagiarism with online tools after submission and before starting review.
HOW IS PLAGIARISM HANDLED?
The manuscripts in which the plagiarism is detected are handled based on the extent of the plagiarism.
10-25% Plagiarism: The manuscript is sent back to the author for content revision without entering the review process.
> 25% Plagiarism: The manuscript will be rejected without the entering the review process. The authors are advised to revise the manuscript and resubmit the manuscript.
PLAGIARISM DETECTION AFTER PUBLICATION
If a case of plagiarism is detected after ABC HF had published the article we will contact the author’s institute and funding agencies.
A determination of misconduct will lead the ABC HF to publish a statement, linked online to and from the original paper, to note the plagiarism and to provide a reference to the plagiarised material. In severe cases (> 50% of plagiarism) the paper will be formally retracted.
WORD COUNT LIMITS
The electronic word count should include the title, the cover page, abstract, text, references and figures/tables legends.
THE REVIEW PROCESS
SUBMISSION
To submit your manuscript, please visit https://mc04.manuscriptcentral.com/abchf and register as an author. If you already have a reviewer login, you can use the same login. To submit your manuscript, please follow the steps below.
ANALYSIS
ABC HF uses a double-blind peer-review system, meaning that the reviewers of the paper will be blind to the identity of the author(s), and the author(s) will be blind to the identity of the reviewer. At initial submission, a manuscript is reviewed by editorial staff for compliance with journal style and to make sure the submission is clear and legible for reviewers and editors. Once the editorial staff have checked in the paper, it is assigned to the Editor-in-Chief, who will assign it to an Associate Editor. The Associate Editor then determines if it should be sent for peer review or if it is not of sufficient priority for ABC HF. All reviewers and editors are asked to report any potential conflicts of interest, and when those exist the manuscript is reassigned to a different editor or reviewer. The manuscripts are submitted to statistical review, whenever necessary. Once at least to 2 reviews have been completed, the submission is reviewed by the associate editors and Editor-in-chief, who come to one of the six decisions below. Reviewers have 30 days to review the manuscript.
• Accept: The manuscript is acceptable for publication in its current form. However, minor edits may be made by the medical editors, illustrators, or the editorial staff, and authors will need to work with the appropriate contacts to ensure these changes are incorporated post-acceptance.
• Minor Revision: It is important to note that this decision does not guarantee acceptance. However, less significant edits are required than a Revision Required decision. Authors have 30 days to make the changes requested.
• Major Revision: In this case, more significant edits are required. Authors have 40 days to make the changes requested. It is important to note that this decision does not guarantee acceptance.
• Reject & Resubmit: The manuscript is unacceptable for publication in its current form. However, the editors are willing to reconsider a thoroughly revised manuscript. The authors must respond to all reviewer and editor comments and the submission will be re-reviewed and treated as a new submission.
• Reject: The manuscript is unacceptable for publication and/or is not an appropriate fit for ABC HF.
APPROVAL
1- Acceptance will be based on originality, significance and scientific contribution to the body of knowledge in the area.
2- The final formatted version (in Portuguese and English) will be sent to the author, who must return it within 5 days with minimal spelling adjustments. If the author does not respond in 5 days, these will be considered the final versions for publication.
PUBLICATION
After the author’s approval, the versions are sent to indexation, when the DOI and the XML version are generated for indexing in the main indexers. The manuscript will be allocated to a volume and an issue, and published online on the journal website (PDF and HTML).